Update:

The organ has now been installed at St Joseph's. It looks and sounds good and it has also revealed a warm acoustic in the building. Please consider helping us finish the fundraising for this project and thank you to all those who have already given generously.

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St Joseph's needs a new organ. The current instrument is a dreadful old electronic with only internal speakers. It only partially works and there are cigarette burns on the console and on the keys! Overall, it is unsatisfactory both now and for the future of music making at St Joseph's.

The music at St Joseph's came to a complete stop during Covid. Recently, a pattern of regular hymn singing has been re-established and next we plan to intoduce a sung Mass setting. The congregation consists of diverse nationalities and they have embraced singing the hymns (in English). Our organist is shortly moving to a new position and we have advertised for a replacement. A pipe organ in good working order would help St Joseph's develop musically by providing adequate colour and support for the congregational singing, by helping to attract and retain an organist and by providing the means for the performance of appropriate liturgical music.

A second-hand instrument has recently become available. The church of St Mary, Ince-in-Makerfield closed recently and we have secured the organ to install at St Joseph's. It is a 2-manual and pedal extension organ in a free standing case, built by George Sixsmith. (see photo) It contains 4 ranks and is in good working order. This will be perfect for St Joseph's!

The building at St Mary's is about to be sold and the organ needs to be removed ASAP. We have secured the services of a reputable organ builder to dismantle the instrument, carry out maintenance and re-erect the instrument at St Joseph's.

Please help us achieve our goal by giving to this worthy cause. All monies will be paid directly to the York Oratory Trust for the purposes outlined above. Any surplus funds will go towards the continued music making at St Joseph's and the York Oratory. In the unlikely event of the project failing, all monies will be returned to the donors.

Samuel Austin

Director of Music, York Oratory.

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